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Kirathi Elves
The Kirathi Elves are a culture of elves in the Om campaign. Summary The Kirathi elves native to the Kirathi Forest on the eastern portion of the continent of Elira. They once had a kingdom but it had collapsed and they had reverted to tribal rule by 350 AC when the Gildornian Settlers conquered the Kirathi. The Kirathi later rose up against their Gidlornian oppressors but the rebellion was brutally put down and the elves continued to suffer as second class citizens to Gildorn. A second uprising was begun late in 465. History The tales of the Kirathi state that they came to the Kirathi Forest two thousand years before the Second Kirathi Uprising in 465 AC and swore loyalty to Halthadrian, a famous elven leader who led them to the Kirathi Forest and became their king. Halthadiran ruled wisely and well, and is considered a great king by the Kirathi, but from the beginning of the kingdom there were conflicts between the tribes. When Halthadrian died one thousand years later civil war erupted and the tribes never reunited. Some left the forest for good and the rest went their own ways. Afterwards the tribes were at the best of times a loose confederation of trade and mutual defense partners and at worst of times openly hostile to one another. Gildornian Conquest Nine hundred years after Halthadrian’s death, the Wayward Sons came to Elira. They found easy pickings among the squabbling and disunited Kirathi tribes and they were promptly able to conquer them. After the conquest, life for the elves was brutal. Once the Gildornians took over roughly 40 years later, things got worse. Economic strangulation, exploitation, and discrimination were only punctuated by hunger, suffering, and disease and the elves were decimated. The First Kirathi Uprising In 435 AC a significant portion of the elvish population rose in rebellion. After the Settlers War, a conflict between Gildorn and Orlesea that had spread to Elira, concluded some elvish leaders felt Gildorn was weakened by the war and believed they saw their chance and called for independence. The elders of the Nilthanar and Lorathel Tribes raised troops immediately and began sacking farms and freeholds, while the elders of Dralthanor and Kal-Thalas Tribes hesitated. In the end, the Kal-thalas did not fight but ended up funneling supplies and money to the rebels. The Dralthanor tended to the wounded that were brought to them, but nothing else. After some initial elvish success and the brief capture of Dunkirk, the Gildornian forces under the newly appointed Duke Marcus Cornelius Agrippa mobilized. The response was swift and brutal. The settlement of Nilthanar was completely raised to the ground. The elders of the Lorathel and Nilthanar Tribes were all crucified. A garrison was built in the settlement of Kal-Thalas and the elves were forced to move their homes to the ground. As a further punishment, elves were forbidden to trade with colonists for 5 years. As a result of this harsh policy many elves starved. Post Uprising Since the uprising the Kirathi have remained a divided people, further divided than they already were by a century of war, brutality, and subjugation. Each tribe maintained its own agenda and seek to secure their own ends. Gildornians focused on stoking the divides and mistrust between the tribes to prevent a strong opposition from forming and keeping them fractured. Halthadrian’s Heralds In 465 a pair of twin half-elf adventurers and part of a group called the Fate Fighters appeared, claiming to have entered Halthadrian’s Tomb and been dubbed his Heralds. These half-elves, Fernith and Fynnhanar, countered complaints that the dead king’s tomb could not be opened with incredibly accurate descriptions of the tomb doors, and depictions of the interior that matched perfectly the established lore of Halthadrian’s final resting place. The tribes agreed to a Moot to be held in Kal-Thalas in the Grove of the Dancer on the 10th of Twins to discuss the matter. The Kirathi Moot As tradition dictated, the moot was held in the Grove of the Dancer when the moon was highest in the sky. Because of recently issued edicts by the Gildorninans preventing Elves meeting in groups larger than three, a great deal of secrecy was needed. The Dralthanor, Kal-Thalas and Lorathel tribes sent full delegations to the Moot. The Nilthanar, fearing Gildornian reprisals, declined to send one but a lone elven leader named Iolaus came anyway to warn the other tribes against naming a king, warning that it would invite another slaughter. To the surprise of nearly everyone present, the Valthanor ended their millennia long exile and also sent a full delegation. After standard business was attended to, Korroticus of the Dralthanor Tribe called upon his guests to the moot, the humans Decius and Wu Xen. Decius spoke first, telling of the fiery apocalypse brewing in the west that Jamor had shown him, and urging all races to band together to stave off annihilation. Wu spoke next, also warning of the danger to the west but also urging the elven tribes to unite and stating that the Halthadrian had told the heralds that Merith was to be his successor as the king of the Kirathi. Wu urged the elves to build a strong nation that could co-exist with Gildorn, and fight to force that recognition if necessary. Elriel “the Opal” of the Valthanor Tribe next spoke a few words as well, urging the Gildornians to be bloodied and brought to heel for their racism and unjust treatment of elves. Then the heralds, Fynnhanar and Fernith, spoke. They explained that they’d entered Halthadrian's Tomb and heard the words the elf king's spirit telling them that Merith was the next, true king of a united Kirathi people. Merith then gave a rousing speech about how the Gildornians had wronged the elves and would continue to do so and how capitulation would only end in their destruction. He avowed that he would live in peace with any who showed elves equal respect but he would just as readily bring war to those who sought to harm them. Next Gallerius of the Lorathel Tribe spoke. He condemned Wu, Fynn and Fern, accusing them and the rest of the Fate Fighters of being Gildornian agents and implying that Merith’s recent long imprisonment in Waymere had been a voluntary meeting with the Gildornians as an ally. Gallerius accused them of all having only Gildornian interests at heart, stated that only he could save the elven people, and urged the tribes to name him as king and join him in a war against Gildorn. The moot adjourned for a day to discuss the developments and the tribes votes for king. The moot resumed the following night, again as the moon was highest, but it was promptly attacked by Gildornian soldiers. Warned by the terrified Iolaus, the lone representative of the Nilthanor Tribe, the Gildornians contracted the Grey Wizards of Waymere to teleport a squad of soldiers into the moot while a column of men marched on it from without. A great battle took place and the combined might of the elves and their non-elven guests fended off the first wave, but not before the Grey Wizards were able to successfully kidnap four of the elven leaders, among them Merith. All of the delegations withdrew from the Grove and held an impromptu vote. With Merith taken, Gallerius claimed he was the only candidate remaining and commanded the other tribes to support him, vowing to rise up again and slaughter the Gildornians. The Kal-Thalas delegation supported Gallerius as did the Valthanor, if more begrudgingly. The lone Dralthanor delegate who had not been taken in the attack, Korroticous, refused however. Vowing that the Drals would not support Gallerius effort. In response Gallerius ordered the Drals and their non-elven guests to evacuate immediately or be treated as an enemy. Second Kirathi Uprising Gallerius and his hastily formed coalition immediately attacked the Gildornian garrison and all Gildornian forces in Kal-Thalas. They easily took the town, however the surviving Gildornian soldiers retreated to the fort within and holed up there. Gallerius ordered messages to be placed on the dwellings of all the humans in the town telling them to evacuate Kal-Thalas in one day or they would be executed. The situation was dire for Gallerius, however, as two regiments of Gildornian soldiers had already been dispatched from Waymere in anticipation of a response to their attacking the moot and were on the march. If Gallerius could not take the fort in Kal-Thalas and fortify it before their arrival he would not have any hope of holding the town. Gildorn immediately attacked Nilthanar, burning the town again and slaughtering the Nils in reprisal for the declaration of hostilities again upon the Gildornian Crown. The Nil leadership, however, had prepared for such an eventuality and readied escape routes allowing for some of their leadership to escape in case of another Gildornian attack. Fortunately for Gallerius, the Gildornian column that was marching upon Kal-Thalas never arrived, thanks to the Battle of Waymere. While the Gildornians in the fort were able to hold out, eventually an elven servant inside the fort was able to open the gates, allowing Gallerius and his men in to brutally slaughter every human within. With the fall of the fort, Kal-Thalas as entirely under Gallerius' control. Kirathi Tribes Though there were several Kirathi Tribes in the days of Halthadrian’s rule war, attrition and political fractures have whittled the number down to only five known tribes. Each tribe has its own customs and traditions, but all seem to be governed in some fashion by a hierarchy or council of elders. Dralthanor Tribe The Dralthanor Tribe are the traditional priests and clerics of the Kirathi. The Drals are among the finest of scholars and healers in the Kirathi. They tend to the Grandfather Tree, believed to be the oldest tree in the Kirathi Forest and connected to all other trees. They believe that should it die so too would all the trees of the forest. As a result they view the care and protection of the Grandfather Tree as their most sacred of duties and highest priority. In addition to their magical and clerical expertise, the Dralthanor Tribe has also mastered the technique of taming and riding griffins, which would no doubt be a massive advantage were they to ever go to war. Kal-Thalas Tribe The Kal-Thalas Tribe is the wealthiest of the elven tribes and have a long history of mercantile skill. The settlement of Kal-Thalas had been the seat of King Halthadrian which was a source of pride to the tribe. After the conquest of Gildorn, in part because the settlement of Kal-Thalas was nearest to the Gildornian mines, they have engaged in extensive trade with Gildorn. Some elves see this as a conflict of interest, and leveled accusations of collaboration upon the Kals. The Kals, however, despise the occupation but have long harbored the concern that they would feel the brunt of Gildornian reprisals for any Kirathi misbehavior, and argued that they are making the best of a bad situation by trading with Gildorn. Nilthanar Tribe The Nilthanar Tribe was once the most anti-Gildorn and pro war tribe among the Kilrathi. They were at the forefront of the War of Conquest and the First Kirathi Uprising. As a result Gildorn focused largely on making an example of Nilthanar and the Nils. Nilthanar was burned to the ground after the First Kirathi Uprising, and it’s leaders slain and replaced with pro-Gildornian elders. After the failed uprising The Nilthanar Tribe was crushed utterly and the Nils a defeated people. Their destroyed village was rebuilt in a Gildornian style and many Nils have actually settled in Gildornian territory and tried their best to model their lifestyle after the Gildornian norm in the hopes that their conquerors will leave them in peace. Because of this they are sometimes called “Farmer elves.” Because of the Nils cooperation with Gildorn, many other tribes dismiss them as collaborators, but to the Nils opposing Gildorn again is just an invitation for them to again brutalize the Nilthanar people. Lorathel Tribe The Lorathel Tribe is descended from the warrior caste of the Kirathi Kingdom and are quite proud of that heritage. They are especially independent minded and are arguably the most warlike of the Kirathi Tribes, often fighting with other tribes during and after the death of Halthadrian and the fall of the kingdom. The majority of the Wild Runners, a group of elves dedicated to conducting a guerrilla warfare campaign against Gildorn, come from the Lorathel Tribe. The Lors are proud and stubborn but are often the finest warriors of the Kirathi people. Valthanor Tribe The Valthanor Tribe was long thought to be one of the lost tribes. After the fall of Halthadrian they retreated to the mountainous western portion of the Kirathi Forest and settled there, closing off all contact with, and remaining hidden from, the outside world. The only contact the Valthanor would have with the world outside their village would be to send an agent out into the world to assess matters and send back regular updates. The Valthanor only emerged from their self imposed exile in 465 AC, when informed by their agent in the world, Elriel “the Opal”, that the spirit of Halthadrian had named a pair of heralds and that a moot was being held to decide a new king. Mirthanor Tribe One of the many lost Kirathi Tribes. Seems to have ended around the time of the civil war. Category:Om Category:Elves